DOE and SBA Research ActThis bill requires the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into an agreement to collaborate on research and development activities. These activities must include, as appropriate, small businesses.The agencies must report on any collaborative research achievements and potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of the agencies.

Making Advances Kinetic Education, Research, and Skills Act or the MAKERS ActThis bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support research and development related to makerspaces. Under the bill, makerspaces are defined as community spaces that provide learners and entrepreneurs with tools, technology, and knowledge, and support educational opportunities for personal growth, workforce training, and early-stage business ventures.Grant funds may be used to support research on the effectiveness of makerspaces in engaging students and communities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), among other functions.In awarding grants, the NSF must prioritize certain applicants, including (1) community colleges and minority-serving institutions; and (2) institutions that apply in partnership with workforce development entities, high-need local educational agencies, or independent nonprofit or academic makerspaces.

Methane Emissions Mitigation Research and Development Act

Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act of 2025This bill authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to make grants to air pollution control agencies to support the development and implementation of programs that support local communities in detecting, preparing for, communicating with the public about, or mitigating the environmental and public health aspects of wildfire smoke and extreme heat. The EPA must establish a formula to distribute the grants among air pollution control agencies.The bill requires the EPA to establish four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke and Extreme Heat at institutions of higher education to research (1) the effects of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat on public health, and (2) the means by which communities can better respond to impacts from such conditions.Additionally, the EPA must begin to carry out research tostudy the health effects of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat;develop and disseminate personal and community-based interventions to reduce exposure to, and health effects of, wildland fire smoke emissions and extreme heat;increase the quality of smoke and extreme heat monitoring and prediction tools and techniques; anddevelop implementation and communication strategies.The EPA must also establish a competitive grant program to assist certain entities (e.g., a state) in developing and implementing collaborative community plans for mitigating the impacts of smoke emissions from wildland fires and extreme heat.

NIST Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act This bill requires research on public safety communication coordination standards related to wildland firefighting. The Public Safety and Communications Research Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must carry out research on such standards among wildland firefighters, fire management response officials, and specified federal agencies responsible for coordinating and mobilizing for wildland fire and other incidents. The research must also focus on improving and integrating existing communications systems to allow for secure, real-time transmission of data, alerts, and advisories to fire management officials and wildland firefighters. In carrying out the research, the division must (1) conduct live and virtual field tests of equipment, software, and other technologies; and (2) consult with NIST's Fire Research Division and communication technology manufacturers. Informed by the research, NIST must publish recommendations for specified federal agencies to improve public safety communication coordination standards among wildland first responders and fire management officials. In addition, NIST must advise the Office of Management and Budget and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy concerning the agencies' implementation of the recommendations. Within one year of the publication of NIST's recommendations, the Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the agencies have implemented the recommendations.

Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to report on the use of its authority to reduce or eliminate the nonfederal cost-sharing requirements for federally-funded projects regarding research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. DOE must submit a report within 120 days of the enactment of this bill and at least quarterly thereafter.

American Science First Act This bill prohibits the National Science Foundation (NSF) from providing grants or other forms of assistance to certain foreign individuals and entities. Specifically, the NSF may not support any individual or entity that is affiliated or otherwise has a relationship, including but not limited to a research partnership, joint venture, or contract, with an entity included on the entity list under the Export Administration Regulations, which identifies foreign entities subject to license requirements for the export, reexport, or transfer of certain items; a Chinese military company operating in the United States or any of its territories or possessions on the list required under the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999, or required under the Mac Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, or any successor list; or any parent, subsidiary, affiliate of, or entity owned by or controlled by any such entity.

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2023 This bill establishes activities to address wildfires. The bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to establish spatial fire management plans before the end of FY2026. The bill establishes accounts in the Treasury for addressing wildfires, a program to train and certify citizens who wish to be able to volunteer to assist USDA or Interior during a wildland fire incident, a program to award grants to eligible states or units of local government to acquire slip-on tank and pump units for a surge capacity of resources for fire suppression, the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for the management of wildfire-related invasive species, and the Management of Wildfire-Related Invasive Species Technology Advisory Board. The bill also requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to reimburse a state or federal agency for the costs of wildfire suppression as a result of a fire caused by DOD activity, requires the Joint Fire Science Program to work with unmanned aircraft test ranges to carry out research and development of unmanned aircraft system fire applications, requires federal and state disaster preparedness programs to include postdisaster assistance, and authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide funding to a state agency to establish and operate a website to provide information relating to postfire recovery funding and resources to a community or an individual impacted by a wildland fire.

Federal Grant Accountability ActThis bill limits the indirect costs that are allowable under federal research awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs). (Generally, indirect costs represent expenses that are not specific to a research project but are needed to maintain the infrastructure and administrative support for federally funded research.)Specifically, the total amount of indirect costs allowable under a federal research award may not exceed the total amount of indirect costs allowable under private research awards. The Office of Management and Budget must determine the average indirect cost rate applicable to private research awards.Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must study and report on (1) the indirect cost rates allowable under federal research awards to IHEs, including awards made by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other such organizations; and (2) the indirect cost rates allowable under private research awards to IHEs.

No Subsidies for Wealthy Universities ActThis bill limits the indirect costs that are allowable under federal research awards to institutions of higher education (IHEs) with endowments above specified thresholds. (Generally, indirect costs represent expenses that are not specific to a research project but are needed to maintain the infrastructure and administrative support for federally funded research.)Specifically, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) must annually collect information regarding the endowments of each IHE that has entered into a program participation agreement with the Department of Education.With this collected information, NCES must identify and make lists of (1) each IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, and (2) each IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion). NCES must submit these lists to the Office of Management and Budget, which must then distribute the lists to federal agencies, Congress, and the public.The bill establishes the following limits on the indirect costs allowable under federal research awards:for an IHE with an endowment of more than $5 billion, the IHE is prohibited from using these awards for indirect costs;for an IHE with an endowment of more than $2 billion (but not more than $5 billion), the IHE is limited to an indirect cost rate of 8%; andfor all other IHEs, an indirect cost rate of 15%.The Government Accountability Office must annually report to Congress on indirect cost reimbursement on federal research awards for IHEs.

This bill makes certain changes to the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, including increasing available scholarship amounts to cover up to five years of eligible tuition. The program offers scholarships to students pursuing higher education in cybersecurity and related fields, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and aerospace. Under current law, the scholarship covers up to three years of tuition. Recipients must generally commit to work in cybersecurity for a government agency or institution of higher education following completion of their degree program for a period equivalent to the duration of the scholarship. If a recipient fails to fulfill the postgraduation work requirements, some or all of the scholarship must be repaid or treated as a loan. The bill also provides statutory authority for the National Science Foundation to treat as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan the full amount of any scholarship award that is treated as a loan. Under current law, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans are subject to certain conditions (e.g., interest rates and repayment schedules) and are eligible for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. 

Fix Our Forests Act

Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act

Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act

Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act